Teenager humiliated, hair chopped off over theft allegation

A young woman and her two siblings were detained and tortured for several hours in Sakhipur Union of Vedarganj upazila in Shariatpur over an alleged theft. The young woman was tied to a tree, beaten, her hair chopped off and a garland of shoes placed around her neck to humiliate her.

The incident occurred around 8am on Tuesday, August 5, in the area adjacent to Hazi Shariatullah College. A video of the incident circulated on social media on Thursday night, sparking tension in the area.

The victims' mother, Fatema Begum, filed a written complaint with Sakhipur Police Station over the incident.

Police, the victim's family and local sources said Monir Mollah, 25, son of grocery shop owner Abul Mollah of the Chhayalkandi area in Sakhipur, had long been harassing Faria Akhtar, 18, daughter of local resident Faruk Bepari, and had made indecent proposals to her on several occasions. For refusing, Faria was subjected to various forms of harassment. Locals had previously warned Monir about his behaviour, according to the victim's family.

According to the complaint, Faria went to Monir's grocery shop with her younger siblings to make purchases on the day of the incident. Monir made an indecent proposal to Faria. When she protested, he forcibly took her and her two siblings to a nearby house and locked them in a room, where they were beaten and tied up.

Later, when locals gathered after hearing their screams, Monir raised a theft allegation against Faria and she was tied to a tree and beaten. At one point, several women chopped off her hair and put a garland of shoes around her neck to publicly humiliate her, according to the complaint.

Upon receiving the news, police from Sakhipur Police Station rescued the three siblings and sent them to Vedarganj Upazila Health Complex.

In the video that went viral on Facebook after Thursday evening, a young woman is seen tied to a tree while several men and women torture her in the presence of a crowd. Several women are seen cutting her hair and putting a garland of shoes around her neck. The young woman is also heard screaming.

Since the incident, the victim's family has been living in insecurity. They claim they are being threatened in various ways to withdraw the complaint, forcing them to leave their home and take shelter at a relative's house about five kilometres away.

Faria's father, Faruk Bepari, said, "My children were detained from 8am to 12pm. Now we are the ones forced to flee. We are being threatened to withdraw the complaint. We are living in insecurity."

Denying the allegations, Monir Mollah said, "They were stealing from my shop. Locals caught them and tied them to a tree. Afsana, Faujia Sardar and Nishi Sardar cut Faria's hair. I was not involved. The allegation of making an indecent proposal is also not true."

Afsana, Faujia Sardar and Nishi Sardar, named in the video as being involved in the torture, refused to speak to journalists.

Sakhipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mofazzal Hossain said police rescued the victims after receiving the news. A written complaint has been received. The matter will be investigated and legal action will be taken.